PASS IN REVIEW

“Shedding Light On Idaho’s Military History” 4th Quarter December 1999

The Official Newsletter of the Idaho Military Historical Society and Museum

IMHS FUND RAISER!

41st INFANTRY DIVISION ASSN MAKES DONATION

THANK YOU! We have received additional donations to the Endowment Fund in the name of Herb Berlier. A special thank you to Art & Mary Cozine, and LeRoy & Susan Hartgrave.

Mr. Al Phillips, past president of the 41st Infantry Division Association presented a check in support of Museum activities to the Idaho Military Historical Society for $10,000 on December 16, 1999. The ceremony took place in Bld 924, the soon to be new home of the Idaho Military History Museum.

Thank you also to Commercial Glass. The glass top of one of our display cases broke and Commercial Glass replaced it for us at no charge!

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

Members of the 41st Infantry Division Association and the Idaho Military Historical Society were in attendance, as was General Kane, The Adjutant General for Idaho.

$5.00

Merry Christmas

Wishing you beautiful holiday

memories and the greatest joys to keep throughout the new year.

Happy Holidays!

Pancakes, Eggs, Sausage, Hashbrowns, Juice and Coffee

January 8 and 9, 2000 This donation was made possible due to the efforts of LTC (Ret) Dick Dooley, IMHS member and member of the 41st Infantry Division Assn. Thank you Dick, we deeply appreciate all your efforts to make this happen!

6:00 AM to 1:00 PM

(That’s 0600 to 1300 for

those who remember)

Gowen Field Officers Club, Building 710

THE LIBRARY Gowen Field, Boise, Idaho HAS MOVED! If not for our members and

volunteers, the Idaho Military History Museum would not have progressed as far as it has. I would like to take this moment to thank each and every one of you for your hard work. Happy Holidays! 5

Proceeds go to the

THE IDAHO MILITARY HISTORY MUSEUM

The IMHS Library has moved into its new home in Bld 924. A special thank you goes out to Ben & Joyce Steffens, Bob & Kay Benbough, Stan Ogsbury, Cynthia Strader, and Bob Cassell. We couldn’t have done it without you!

To support its move to it’s new home in Bld 924

Sponsored by: - Ken Swanson

American Legion Post #136 of Boise For More Information Call

Bob Benbough at 422-6128 or

Wayne Mitchell at 422-3920

Open To The Public!

Inside This Issue THE HISTORY OF THE MEDAL OF HONOR PART II NATIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR DAY IDAHO FILE INTO HISTORY – John Green VOLUNTEER OF THE QUARTER MOST WANTED NEW MEMBERS WEB PAGE UPDATE JUST IN CASE

PASS IN REVIEW December 1999 -2- THE HISTORY OF THE MEDAL OF HONOR PART II

Army Medal of Honor as it appeared in 1862

With more than 700 Civil War soldiers applying for Medals of Honor since 1890, President William McKinley (in June 1897) directed the Army to establish new policies regarding Medal of Honor applications and awards, which it did. Then, in June 1916, "A board to consist of five general officers on the retired list of the Army shall be convened...for the purpose of investigating and reporting upon past awards or issue of the so-called congressional medal of honor." In October 1916, The Board Of Generals, authorized in the previous legislation, convened. Every award of the Army Medal of Honor since the Civil War was reviewed. The recipients were anonymous to the board, represented only by a number. “...all of the 2,625 Medals of Honor which had been

Army Medal of Honor as it

appeared in 1896 awarded up to that time were considered by the Board, and on February 15, 1917, 910 names were stricken from the list.”1 {Some sources said 910, others said 911} The stricken names included all the medals awarded to the 27th Maine, 29 members of President Lincoln's funeral guard, and six civilians. (Six were later restored.) The criteria for the Medal of Honor was modified again in July 1918. This established the new "Pyramid of Honor" providing for lesser awards (The Distinguished Service Cross, The Distinguished Service Medal, and The Silver Star). The act was further modified over the course of several months. Then in February 1919, stipulation was made that no person could receive more than one Medal of Honor. Previously there had been 19 Double Awards of the Medal.

Army Medal of Honor as it appeared in 1904

NATIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR DAY The United States Congress has designated March 25th of each year as NATIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR DAY, a day dedicated to Medal of Honor recipients. (Public Law 101-564). The date of March 25th was chosen to highlight this special day because it was on March 25 (1863) that the first Medals of Honor were presented...to six members of Andrews' Raiders.

------ “May the courage and heroism of which this Medal is a symbol always remind us of our debt to these men, and clearly point to the personal responsibility which every American has today to share in the work of helping to build a healthy and peaceful world.” -President Harry Truman, July 10, 1948 2

------

1. R.J. (Bob) Proft, Medal of Honor Recipients And Their Official Citations, Highland House II, Columbia Heights, MN, 1997, p. 10 2. Department of the Army, The Medal of Honor, USGPO, 1948, p. III. Additional information provided by http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Quarters/7737/moh/history/history_timeline.html and the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.

UPDATE In our last newsletter we stated that there were 24 recipients of the Medal of Honor with a connection to Idaho. Further research revealed that 8 Medals of Honor were earned in Idaho during the Indian Campaigns, five in Camas Meadows, two in White Bird Canyon, and one in Clearwater, Idaho. That brings the total to 32. These eight were not accredited to Idaho; they were earned in Idaho. The medals are accredited to the state the individuals entered service in.

The Official Newsletter of the Idaho Military Historical Society and Museum

-3 December 1999 PASS IN REVIEW

The Official Newsletter of the Idaho Military Historical Society and Museum

IDAHO FILE INTO HISTORY

John Green Medal Of Honor Recipient –

Indian Campaigns Rank and Organization: Major, 1st U.S. Cavalry. Place and Date: At the Lava Beds, Calif., 17 January 1873. Entered Service At: Ohio. Birth: Germany. Date of Issue: 18 November 1897. Citation: “In order to reassure his command, this officer, in the most fearless manner and exposed to very great danger, walked in front of the line; the command, thus encouraged, advanced over the lava upon the Indians who were concealed among the rocks.” Born In Germany, Nov. 20, 1825, he came to the United States at six years of age in 1831. As Green grew older he was apprenticed to a carpenter on one occasion and to a cabinetmaker on another. It didn't "take." Then he and a friend enlisted in the Army in 1846. It was into one of those "regimental recruitments" of that day. The regiment was called the Mounted Rifles and was to proceed

to Oregon Territory frontier service. But the Mexican War diverted the regiment to the south and that area of hostilities. With his unit, Green took part in the battles of Cerro Gordo, Contreras, Cherubusco and Capultepec as well as the siege of Mexico City. His regiment came out of that war commended by superiors including General Winfield Scott, and Green came out of it a Sergeant Major. It is clear that Green had found his niche. He was tall and of stately bearing. As he rose from recruit to senior sergeant of his regiment, he was known and respected for his pride and proficiency in army service.

National Association of

Veterans of Mexican War Medal, seen in above left photo

He then saw duty in Texas, Kansas, Utah and at Fort Laramie. It was during his service at the latter post that the Civil War broke out and in 1861 he was ordered east to the Army of the Potomac. This involved a long 700 mile march to Fort Leavenworth and then on to Washington. On the way he was promoted to Captain of his company. Green with his squadron first served with Franklin's corps. They then rejoined the Mounted Rifles and General McClellan in the fighting at Antietam after which he

and his regiment were assigned to a regular brigade of cavalry under Stoneman for the famous raid through Virginia. Green then joined Pleasanton and was in the thickest of the fighting.

He was with General Scofield before Atlanta and in the battles of Jonesboro and Lovejoy's Station. Upon completing that assignment he was recommended for promotion and received a personal thanks from Lt. General U. S. Grant. At this point Green was recommended for brevet promotion to Brigadier General but the proposal died in committee in Washington.

Major John Green

After the war, Green served at several western outposts in Wyoming, Arizona, Oregon and Washington Territory. Shortly after that duty, Green was promoted to Major, commanding the First U. S. Cavalry Regiment. It was in the Modoc war of northern California that he demonstrated the heroic leadership which, for those who knew him, was almost expected. In the fall of 1872, the Modoc Indians had left their reservation, and efforts to coax them into returning to it had not been successful.

PASS IN REVIEW December 1999 -4-

The Official Newsletter of the Idaho Military Historical Society and Museum

“The next step was an appeal by the agent, in the name of the Central Office in Washington, to the commanding officer at Fort Klamath to furnish a force sufficient to compel the Modocs to return to Camp Yainak. The commanding officer, Major John Green of the First U.S. Cavalry, had to comply, and detailed Captain Jackson with

about thirty men for the purpose. Jackson left Fort Klamath on November 28, 1872, and thus started the Modoc War.”3 The inevitable confrontation occurred, shots were fired, with both sides blaming the other for firing the first shot. “The Indians selected as their stronghold a stretch of country known as the Lava Beds, south of Tule Lake, a most inaccessible region. The Lava Beds comprise an intricate net of gorges, crests and crevices, amply supplied with water from Tule Lake, and covering a surface of four by seven miles.”3 The next expedition against the Indians was started towards the middle of January. “While on this occasion many deeds of valor on the part of the troops came to light, the most conspicuous personage during the whole fight was Major John Green, the commander at Fort Klamath, whose conduct won the admiration of all who observed him.”3 “Major Green commanded a line

of skirmishers. As the battle ground was of such peculiar formation that an unbroken line of skirmishers would a few minutes later find itself split up in small detachments cut off from one another by impassable crevices and exposed to sudden flanking fire from an unseen enemy, extreme precaution was required to avoid disaster. The rank and file, who felt their prey continuously slipping away from them, between their fingers, so to speak, while the hostile shots told only the more severely, were likely to lose heart and confidence in themselves. So it happened that, when the command came to advance, the men in some part of Major Green's line appeared none too eager to execute the orders; they had sustained severe losses without any visible counter effect upon the Indians, and the position then held was a sheltered one.

Major Green, seeing this, at once stepped forward and

commenced walking

coolly up and down, fully

exposed to the enemy's fire, showing his men by his own example that the hostile bullets were not worthy of notice. During the whole engagement he exposed himself with a recklessness that could not fail to impress his men.”3 The soldiers were however out numbered and “this second effort to force the Modocs back to the Klamath Reservation had thus failed.”3 It was determined that this time an attempt at a peaceful resolution would me made. A date, time, and setting for negotiations was set

“Two Indian rogues, Bogus Charley and Boston Charley”3 had other ideas and the meeting was sabotaged. The end result left most of the peace party dead with the Indians retreating back to the Lava beds. Such treachery could not go unpunished and the order to “attack without delay with all available forces”3 was given. “Major Green, ever ready, gathered in the utmost hurry all the available forces and hastened to the spot.”3 Upon arrival he found that of the five line officers four had been killed, along with eighteen other men. Many others were seriously wounded. “Major Green rescued the wounded, among whom was also the surgeon of the party…Major Green had come in time.3

Major Green, seeing this, at once stepped forward and

commenced walking coolly up and down, fully exposed to the enemy's fire, showing his men by his own example that the

hostile bullets were not worthy of notice.

This latest battle invigorated the military and on May 2, fresh troops arrived. By the 3rd of June, the last of the Indians had surrendered. “During these last days of desperate fighting and pursuing it was again Major John Green who, in courage, zeal, instruction and intelligence, proved a model soldier, and impressed his men more than any other officer with the idea of absolute fearlessness. Self-protection and shelter were ever secondary in his mind to the accomplishment of what he had in view, and he richly deserved his Medal of Honor.” 3

Photo of

John Green’s Medal of Honor

Green first became acquainted

with Boise when he was assigned to Boise Barracks on July 1, 1877. He

-5 December 1999 PASS IN REVIEW then was in and out of the city on numerous assignments. He returned to Boise in June, 1885 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, in command of the Second U. S. Cavalry.

The Official Newsletter of the Idaho Military Historical Society and Museum

Boise then remained his permanent post and he now called the city home. Not only was Green highly respected by his command but by civilian leaders as well. He was popular in Boise as well as on the post. But now he had earned a rest. After forty-four years in the Army, he retired in 1889. He then arranged for American and European travels for himself and his family. He spent an extended time in Europe, which included a visit his old home in Germany. After a final trip he returned to Boise early in 1908. On November 22 of that year he heard the clear notes of his last bugle call. His place of rest is a family mausoleum in Morris Hill Cemetery (Boise, Idaho) fittingly located next to Silent Camp and Field of Honor sections where veterans are buried.

The record does not indicate that Major Green was one of the individuals who’s medal was withdrawn and then restored, nor is he listed as being one of the 19 Double Awardees. We do know however that

he had two Medals of Honor, both engraved with the 17 January 1873, Lava Beds date. The second medal is pictured here. Special thanks to the Idaho State Library and Archives and Idaho State Historical Museum for their

assistance with this article. All of the medals shown here are located at the Idaho State Historical Museum but are not currently on display.

MOST WANTED In order properly display some of the uniforms in our collection, we need mannequins, both male and female.

3. Walter F. Beyer & Oscar F. Keydel, Deeds of Valor, How America’s Heroes Won The Medal Of Honor, The Perrien Keydel Company, Detroit MI, 1902, pages 171-179

Attempts to obtain them from surplus property or through the federal supply system have only resulted in CPR mannequins, clearly not what we need.

VOLUNTEERS OF THE QUARTER

If you have one, or know some one who does, who would be willing to donate it to the Museum, please let us know.

NEW MEMBERS

Special Welcome to:

Ronald Eggleston Please meet Ben & Joyce Steffens Hugh Gray

Ronald C. Jennings Ben joined the IMHS in October 1995 and immediately became indispensable. He brought in reference material and proceeded make repairs and restore donated military equipment, his specialty is radio equipment.

Charles F. Price WEB PAGE UPDATE Have you seen our Web page lately? It is worth a second look! We are also building an e-mail notification list. If you would like to receive an e-mail notification of such things as fundraiser breakfasts, Veterans Day events, etc., send Gayle an e-mail. Her address is gayle.alvarez@idbois.ang.af.mil.

He restored the EE8 field phones currently on display in the Museum, which have been a bit hit with school groups.

He also ‘acquired’ the radio rack and he and Herb together developed the display. He also began docenting with his wife Joyce who joined the IMHS in February of this year.

We do not make our distribution or mailing lists available to anyone else. This is just a quick and easy way for you to keep up on the latest happenings at the museum. We will also be posting these notices on our web page, http://inghro.state.id.us/museum/.

When we first received access to

Bld 924, our soon to be new home, Ben & Joyce

participated in and also organized “GI parties” to get

the building ready for the move. Produced By: Idaho Military Historical Society Editors: Phil Obenchain & Gayle Alvarez Production: Gayle Alvarez Comments or article suggestions are welcome, contact us at 422-6128, or at out our website: http://inghro.state.id.us/museum/

Ben, Joyce…Thank you very much, we sincerely appreciate everything you have done for us!

PASS IN REVIEW December 1999 -6-

The Official Newsletter of the Idaho Military Historical Society and Museum

JUST IN CASE If you misplaced the membership application you picked up at the Museum or if you haven’t had a chance to send in your renewal for 1999, here is your chance. Just clip the enclosed application and send it in with your TAX DEDUCTIBLE contribution. The form can also be used to make a donation or an endowment pledge. If you aren’t sure what your renewal date is, check the address label on your newsletter, it lists the month and year your renewal is due.

IDAHO MILITARY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

4040 W. Guard Street, Boise, Idaho 83705-5004

Membership Application/Renewal YES! Please enter my tax deductible membership application/renewal in the category checked below. I have enclosed a check or money order in the amount indicated.

$ 25 ❒ General $ 375 ❒ Lifetime $__________ ❒ Other

$ 10 ❒ Associate (Members Spouse)

$ 10 $ 15

❒ Student ❒ Senior (60+)

For:

Name: Phone: Address: (City, State, Zip) Interests: (Volunteering, Research, Displays, etc.)

✂ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -